‘Threat to life’: Pannun plot accused Vikash Yadav gets breather in Delhi case
Yadav had reportedly applied to the Delhi court requesting exemption from attending his case hearing as there was a security threat to his life
Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government employee facing “murder-for-hire” and money-laundering charges in the US in connection with the alleged plot to kill Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has got a breather from a Delhi court in a kidnapping and extortion case filed in the capital.
Yadav had reportedly applied to the Delhi court requesting exemption from attending his case hearing as there was a security threat to his life. The court on Saturday (November 17) granted him exemption until February 3, when he has been asked to appear before it again.
Cases against Yadav
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell arrested Yadav in the alleged kidnapping and extortion case on December 18 last year. He spent four months in Delhi’s Tihar jail before being released on bail on April 22, The Indian Express reported.
Also read: Centre sees red over summons from US court in Pannun murder-plot case
Three weeks before his arrest in Delhi, US Department of Justice (DoJ) documents listed him as “CC-1” (co-conspirator). He was put on the FBI’s wanted list on October 18.
The US indictment has alleged that Yadav was employed by the “government of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which is a part of the Indian Prime Minister’s Office.” However, the Ministry of External Affairs has claimed that Yadav is “no longer an employee of the government of India”.
Claim of threat to life
Yadav, in the two-page application filed by his advocate RK Handoo before the Delhi court, has reportedly claimed that the Delhi Police registered a false case against him. His arrest — and of his associate Abdullah Khan — came on the basis of a complaint of extortion and kidnapping and a link to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Watch: US charges ex-Indian agent of attempt to kill Sikh separatist in New York
Yadav has also claimed a security threat to his life, as his photos and address are being circulated publicly. He has reportedly claimed that even joining the hearing through video conferencing can pose a threat to his life, as his location may be tracked.